Perception and Preparation
by Stinger909XL
Summary: Perception and Preparation: A world where war is inevitable, where Grimm are long extinct. Mr Schnee prepares for the war, and starts to train soldiers to defend the kingdom from attack.
1. Chapter 1

**Perception and Preparation:**

 **Chapter 1:**

* * *

 **Kingdom of Atlas**

 **Azzurra**

 **12th June, 2003**

 **12:30 PM (Central Atlesian Time)**

 **Schnee Headquarters**

The brown haired Faunus walked through the door, into the rigidly designed Headquarters of the Schnee Dust Company, her rabbit ears rolled slightly to let herself in the door. At the reception desk, a holographic image fizzed into view.

"Greetings, welcome to the Schnee Dust Company Headquarters, how may we help you?" The hologram spoke from speakers placed around the room. The woman looked around, and the spoke up.

"I have an appointment with Mr Schnee." The woman replied, and the image blinked.

"Thank you. Mr Schnee is currently

awaiting your arrival in his office on floor 57." The image disappeared, and the woman headed over to the nearby elevator. She pulled a scroll from her pocket, and scanned it on the control panel.

"Greetings, Miss Hazel Scarlatina. Rising to floor 57." The elevator spoke monotonously, shifted, and began to rise. After a couple of minutes the elevator dinged, and the doors opened. "Have a nice day." It said as she exited the elevator.

She strolled to the end of the corridor, and was confronted by a large, white door. She took a deep breath, pushed it open.

"Ah, Miss Scarlatina you're here. And five minutes early." A white haired man said from the desk that was at the end of the room. "Please, take a seat, they will be here shortly." He gestured to a chair in front of the desk. She walked over to him, and slid the chair out.

"I mean to ask, Mr Schnee, what do you need of my services." The Faunus asked him, and the man smiled.

"I am starting to uptake a particular… Project. In which I need your skill to search for the correct… Subjects." The Schnee informed her, and she raised an eyebrow. "Miss Scarlatina, I know of your skill. And I would like to hire you. However, this is an official project of the Atlesian Military. Anything that happens in here and the facilities are not to be spoken of elsewhere. Is that clear?" The man said calmly, and she nodded, her ears bouncing slightly.

"So, why're my skills needed?" She questioned, and the Schnee grimaced.

"I fear there is a war coming, Miss Scarlatina. And I'm trying my best to prepare for it, and its aftermath." He said, his ice blue eyes sparkling with sadness.

"And what do you want me to do?" She asked him, and he smiled at her.

"Your ability is-" He began, but he was quickly interrupted by her speaking up.

"Semblance." She informed him. "My semblance is detecting Aura, and I assume you know what Aura is, considering you called me here for that purpose." She told him, and he nodded slowly. "So you want to detect if someone has Aura, I assume?" She asked, and he nodded again.

"Correct. All three of my daughters have shown promise, so they're coming here now for your… Testing." Schnee spoke, and the door to the office burst open.

" **FATHER**!" Three voices simultaneously shouted from the doorway, and three white haired girls dashed over to the man. "Daddy. What're we doing!" "Are we going somewhere!" "Who's she!" They spoke quickly, and the man laughed.

"Please, please, calm down children. You're here for an examination." He informed them, and they instantly silenced themselves.

"But Father, we haven't studied. How could we possibly pass?" The noticeably eldest of the three asked, and he smiled to himself, and looked over at Hazel.

"This examination is nothing alike with the rigorous tests and examinations you have already experienced. If you would care to explain, Miss Scarlatina. Children, listen close and listen well." The Schnee father said, and the Faunus spoke up.

"This ' _examination'_ is not one that you have any ability to change whether you pass or you fail. But do not think of it as anything similar to tests you take in school. It is more along the medical sides of things." She informed the three girls, who nodded concurrently. "OK, I'm going to take you over to the corner one at a time. This will only take a few minutes." Hazel told them, and headed over to the eldest of Mr Schnee's daughters. "What's your name, sweetie?" She asked the icy blue eyed child, who spoke up calmly.

"My name is Winter, ma'am." The girl said formally, and curtsied politely. Hazel let out a small giggle, and smiled.

"Miss Scarlatina is fine, sweetie. Follow me please." She told Winter, who nodded and the two headed over. The other two girls began chatting with each other giddily, grins on their faces. After almost a minute, Winter headed back over to her father and sisters, smiling to herself happily. Mr Schnee gestured to one of the remaining two, who dashed joyfully over to Hazel, her eyes wide and alight with glee. The same was then repeated for the final child, and she headed back just as happily as the other two before her. Hazel walked over to Mr Schnee, who looked at her expectantly.

"All three of your children are incredibly respondent to Aura. Winter and Galatea are approximately mid Level Fours on Oum's Scale, whilst Weiss appears to be a borderline Level Five." She informed him, and he raised an eyebrow before questioning her.

"Forgive my ignorance on the subject, but how exactly does this ' _Oum Scale'_ measure how responsive they are to Aura?" He asked her kindly, and she smiled at him.

"Level One on Oum's Scale is Two Shaws of response to Aura. Each Level then doubles the previous Level's amount of Shaws. So Winter and Galatea have 16 Shaws of responsivity, and Weiss has about 32 Shaws of responsivity. This is with their Auras sealed, when unsealed, they will likely progress a few levels." Hazel informed him, and he nodded with appreciation.

"Thank you, Miss Scarlatina. Now, about hiring. Would you consider it?" He asked her, and she nodded slowly, which caused him to smile. "Splendid, thank for your now and in the future, Miss Scarlatina." He thanked her, and shook her hand.

* * *

 **Kingdom of Vale**

 **City of Vale**

 **25th June, 2008**

 **09:25 AM** **(Valean Time (-2 Hours Central Atlesian Time))**

 **City Centre**

Mr Schnee and Hazel walked down the path, looking along both sides. He looked over at her as she stopped moving, her eyes wide and glimmering in the mid-morning sunlight.

"Have you detected any?" He asked her, and she nodded, shutting her eyes slowly. "Where? We need to see them." The Schnee told her, and she nodded yet again.

"Not far from here. Just around the corner from here. There's two of them, too. Strong responsivity." She said, and opened her eyes again. "I need a closer look to check their levels." She informed him, and he nodded.

"Let's go then." He replied, and they headed down the path. She looked around, and nodded at two girls that were crossing the street carefully.

"Those two." She spoke, nodding her head at them slightly. "The blonde and the red hood." The Faunus continued, and Mr Schnee headed over to them, knelt down and spoke to them, and Hazel heard the one in the hood groan as he brought them both over. "Hello, I'm Miss Scarlatina, what're your names?" She asked them, and they looked at each other, and the blonde girl stepped forward, hiding the smaller girl from view slightly.

"I'm Yang. She's my younger sister, Ruby." Yang spoke, her voice staying completely monotone. "What have we done this time." She asked calmly, and Hazel raised an eyebrow.

"Nothing, we only need to take a few examinations. If you could step to the side with me, it's nothing serious." Hazel told them, and the other child, Ruby, dashed over to her.

"OK. Examination." She beamed, and dashed across to the side, rose petals trailing behind her. "What're we doing? Is it a _school_ test, 'cause I'm really bad at those." Ruby spoke from a few feet away, and Mr Schnee looked at her, then up at Hazel.

"Her Aura it's…" He trailed off, and Hazel nodded slowly before she walked over to Ruby. He looked as Hazel worked, and knelt down in front of Yang. "Excuse me, Yang. Where did those… Petals come from?" He asked her, and the blonde looked up at him before answering.

"Those? Ruby makes them if she runs fast enough. It makes decorating for Valentine's Day _super_ easy, we always lay petals out for our Dad, because he says it helps him remember." Yang explained, and Schnee looked at her in confusion. "Our mother died when I was four. We were all heartbroken, but me and Dad knew we had to be strong for Ruby." Yang spoke quietly, and Mr Schnee nodded.

"It's OK. I'm sure you're fine now. After this examination you can go back home, and pretend it never happened. It won't make much sense until it happens." He told her, and the blonde nodded before Ruby appeared next to her.

"Your turn Yang!" She exclaimed, a grin on her face. Yang plodded over to Hazel, and Ruby looked up at Mr Schnee.

"Hi there Mister." She said, her voice happy, even bubbly.

"Hello. So, Ruby. When did you get this… Ability?" He asked her, but only got a look of confusion in response.

"What ability. I run, I jump, I talk, I walk, I speak. I'm perfectly normal." She said confidently, and crossed her arms.

"No Ruby. You _and_ your sister aren't normal. But this isn't a bad thing. It just happens to be exactly what I'm looking for. And that makes you two special." He told her, and her eyes widened and her grin grew bigger.

"Yeah! I knew it was cool, I told Yang it'd be cool!" She cheered, earning several weird looks from passersby. Mr Schnee laughed, and spoke up again.

"Ruby. Those petals, where did they come from?" He asked her, and she shrugged.

"I dunno. They're always there after I run, and I run _really_ fast, it's so fun!" She exclaimed, and she dashed around him, leaving him surrounded by petals. "See! Petals! Always there!" She exclaimed as she dashed around him, leaving more rose petals. "Ooh hoo… Di-i-izzy…" She murmured quietly, and she sat herself down on the pavement.

"Well, Ruby. Your running. That's special, no one else can do that other than you. Not many people can do anything like it. So, when it happens, we'll come and get you. Because you're needed." He told her, and she smiled at him and nodded. "Good, ah, it appears Miss Scarlatina is done." He said, and Yang ran over and Hazel followed slowly behind her. "So, what're their Levels?" He asked, and she walked over to him.

"At the moment, with her Aura sealed, Yang's a Level Five. Ruby's another story, her Aura's unsealed, and her Level is much higher, she's a _Level Eight_." Hazel informed him, and his eyes widened, but he nodded anyway.

"Good to know. We'll have to mark them down, put them under surveillance. We can't have them knowing we're watching though." He muttered as he pulled out his scroll, and wrote down their names on a document. "OK, we're good to go." He said, watching as the two girls headed off in the direction they were originally going.

* * *

 **Kingdom of Atlas**

 **Azzurra**

 **14th December, 2013**

 **7:45 PM (Central Atlesian Time)**

 **Schnee Headquarters Basement**

Winter hid behind a wall, several brightly coloured beams shooting past her. She held her sword close, and pulled a pistol from her pocket. She dove past the wall, shooting three times to her side as she did so, only to hear the rounds thud into the wall across from her. She heard more of the beams appear and disappear above her, and she fired blindly toward the origin point. Her pistol clicked, and she sighed in annoyance before reloading it expertly, and moving across the room once more. She saw a flash of white hair vanish behind a column across the room, and fired at it, and she saw it move behind a wall nearby to it. Winter grinned, conjuring a glyph below her feet, and she launched herself into the air, aiming her pistol below her.

However, her descent was stopped by a similar glyph appearing below her, and she hit it, stopping dead in the air. She stopped to think, before smiling yet again, and she jumped from the glyph, spinning herself around to aim at her target behind her. She fired two shots, both which impacted a glyph that formed just ahead of the target, which grinned at her before running off. Winter growled, firing a few more shots at her target before the pistol clicked once more.

She threw it to the ground, and rolled behind a nearby overturned table, and heard it thud from several different impacts. She readied her sword as she pulled it from its sheath, and conjured a glyph in front of her, before charging toward her enemy, baring her teeth in anger. She jumped over her glyph, and threw a sword strike at her enemy, who carefully parried it, causing Winter's sword to hit and get lodged in the ground. Winter looked across, and ducked below an incoming strike from her enemy, and she pulled her sword from the floor. She rolled to her side, grabbing a pistol that was lying on the table, and fired a clip at her target, who rolled under them, and each shot thudded into the wall behind.

She threw the pistol to the floor, and launched herself into the air using her glyph once more, she crashed down, but her enemy rolled, causing Winter fall to the floor. She instantly stood herself up, leaning on her sword. She heard a chamber revolve, and threw herself to the floor again, and a beam shot over her head. Winter charged, slashing down at her enemy, who rolled backward and parried Winter's attack. Winter sent several more slashes, all of which her target blocked carefully before attacking with strikes of its own. They stood still, their swords glinting in the light, and a buzz came from speakers placed above them.

"Match over. Result: Draw. Please clear arena floor." A monotonous voice spoke, and the two opponents lowered their swords, and looked each other in the eye.

"Good match Winter. You did well." Winter's white haired opponent said kindly, and Winter laughed lightly.

"You too, Weiss. You're going to be a superb fighter. Maybe _as_ good as I am…" Winter smirked joking, earning a punch on the shoulder from her sister.

"Come on, we need to get out of the arena, Gala and Vel are up next." Weiss told her, and Winter nodded, and the two left the arena quickly, smiles on their faces. "I think Gala may be able to hold her own, but Vel's really good with her Aura." Weiss spoke, and Winter nodded slowly.

"If it goes well. Gala will win. But this is father testing her to her limits, so I think she'll, at most, lose but hold up a good fight." Winter replied calmly, and she pushed through the door to leave the arena. "Now. I'm famished after our fight and Gala's fight won't start for awhile, let's go eat." Winter said to Weiss, who nodded and they walked away.


	2. Chapter 2

**Perception and Preparation**

 **Chapter 2:**

* * *

 **Kingdom of Vale**

 **City of Vale**

 **2nd July, 2015**

 **09:25 AM** **(Valean Time (-2 Hours Central Atlesian Time))**

 **City Centre**

Ruby sped down the path, leaving rose petals in her wake. She continued along with a smile spread wide across her face, zooming past the roads and buildings. She saw a flash of gold turn the corner, and her already wide smile grew larger. The gold turned, revealing a older girl with a similar smile on her own face.

"YANG" Ruby called, her arms opened wide, the golden haired girl threw her arms open too, and Ruby collided with her, wrapping her in a hug.

"Oh, I missed yo~ou!" Yang shouted happily, spinning her smaller sibling around. "How was school? Has Dad been eating well? Have you been eating well?" Yang fussed, placing Ruby on the floor, her hands on Ruby's shoulders.

"Yang. Dad and I have been eating fine. School's been going great, too. I've been getting Straight A's, other than PE and DT, I got A*s on those." Ruby told Yang, who laughed at her. "What? I'm trying…" Ruby whined, which caused to laugh harder as they started to walk along the path.

"Ruby. You don't need perfect grades. You wanna be an engineer, not a teacher." Yang chuckled, and Ruby pouted at Yang. "Come on. Let's get home, don't want Dad worrying about us." The blonde told her sister, who nodded, and they paced faster down the pathway.

* * *

 **Kingdom of Vale**

 **City of Vale**

 **2nd July, 2015**

 **09:55 AM** **(Valean Time (-2 Hours Central Atlesian Time))**

 **Xiao Long Household**

Yang twisted her key in the door, and it swung open when she pushed.

"Ah, home sweet home. It's good to be back here after almost a year of being of being alone." Yang sighed, and Ruby aborted.

"Yang, you've been gone for a week on holi-" Ruby said, but was interrupted by Yang placing a hand over her mouth.

"Shush your face, Rose." Yang joked, and Ruby glared at her playfully.

"Ruby! Yang! Get in here now!" A voice called from another part of the building. "Quickly! This is important!" The voice shouted again, and the two hurried to the living room.

"What is it Dad?" The two questioned simultaneously, and their Father sighed.

"Listen." He said, and he knelt down in front of them. "This is the most important thing I'll ever have to tell you. You have to leave." He spoke, and Ruby let out a fearful screech.

"What! But Yang just got here!" Ruby said, and their father looked at her sternly.

"Ruby. This is not up for discussion. I need you to leave the Kingdom. As soon as you can, headed to the airport, take an airship, and head for Atlas. They'll protect you there." He informed them, and they looked at each other in confusion.

"Why? Why Atlas?" Ruby asked, and he sighed once more.

"Ruby. Trust me, get to Atlas. Yang, get her there safely, OK. You two, leave please. I need to know that you get there safely. If you go now. You may just make it before anyone does anything rash." He told them, slowly leading them toward the door. "They'll have all the stuff you need there. So you don't need to pack. Now get moving. Now!" He shoved them three the door frame, a sad smile on his face. "Goodbye girls. You know how that ol' song goes, right. We'll meet again, don't know where. Don't know when." He muttered, shutting the door behind him.

* * *

 **Kingdom of Vale**

 **City of Vale**

 **2nd July, 2015**

 **10:15 AM** **(Valean Time (-2 Hours Central Atlesian Time))**

 **Valean Interkingdom Airport**

Ruby and Yang walked into the airport, and quickly headed over to the nearest desk.

"Hey, we need the soonest flight to Atlas please." Yang spoke kindly, but her eyes were filled with worry. The man who was sat at the desk looked up, his face gaunt and he shook his head.

"No can do, Missy. Atlas ain't takin' none more ships. Only way is 'cross border." The man slurred, and Yang raised an eyebrow. "Nah'ow scram. I ain't bein' paid to be dealin' with yoh'or shit." The man finished, and his head fell to the desk loudly, and the noise echoed throughout the room. Yang looked at Ruby, and they hastily left the airport.

* * *

 **Kingdom of Atlas**

 **Azzurra**

 **2nd July, 2015**

 **10:25 AM (Central Atlesian Time)**

 **Schnee Headquarters**

Mr Schnee sat with his scroll next to his ear, and Weiss watched intently, waiting for him to finish. She saw him stand up, placing his scroll in his cleanly made suit's pocket, and he headed toward the door. When it opened, Weiss curtsied to him, and made her way next to him. He started up down corridor, and they proceeded around a corner.

"Father." She spoke calmly, but he didn't respond. "Miss Scarlatina mentioned to me that we've been trying to retrieve the tested individuals. She wanted me to report to you that we have successfully risen up in manpower by six in the recent two months, breaking our old record of four. Or three if you count Yatsuhashi as one person." Weiss joked, but still got no response. "And I wanted to speak to you about improving the funding to the facilities. If you do this, we can all get better training and we can round up the remaining testees quicker." She informed him, but her father still remained silent. "Father?" She finally questioned him, and he looked down at her, his ice blue eyes eerily emotionless. "Is something wrong?" The daughter asked, and he continued on down the long, seemingly endless, corridor. Weiss went to speak up, but her father silenced her.

"Weiss. Leave me. I have matters to attend to. Far more important than our mere manpower and funding, if you would believe." He replied harshly, and entered the room nearest him. Weiss sighed, and nodded slightly.

"Of course, father…" She murmured, and trudged away, her sky coloured eyes watering and her head drooped.

* * *

 **Disputed Territory (Atlas/Mistral)**

 **Island of Mapingale**

 **2nd July, 2015**

 **05:30 AM (South Mistrial Time (-7 Hours Central Atlesian Time))**

 **City Centre**

The redhead walked onto the stage, her hair flowing behind her in the wind. The crowd cheered as she appeared from behind the curtain, and she smiled broadly at them, and stood at the edge of the stage.

"People of Mapingale." Her voice erupted, and the noise emanating from the crowd stopped suddenly. "We have come here today to show that we will not be oppressed. That we are all human, whether they think it or not. That no matter what we are to them, to us, to ourselves, we are a community. And we will hold out against any Kingdom that tries to claim us as their own. This day, is the one we have waited for. This is the day we prove to the world that we are not just miners and farmers. We prove that we are all people. And we deserve to be treated like they do. Today we fight, until only one side remains victorious. We fight for our ancestors, and their ancestors, who lived under the oppressive rules of the Kingdoms. We fight because we deserve better. We fight because we are the ones who deserve to win." The woman finished, and the crowd exploded with cheers and screams of joy and glee and happiness. The girl walked back behind the curtain, and her eyes narrowed when she heard faint bangs. She headed back onto the stage, only to see everyone looking around in confusion and fear. The bangs grew louder, until it was clear what it was. Two aircraft screeched overhead, and several troops dropped out, landing outside the stadium. Gunfire sounded, and many turned to flee in terror, whilst a small amount of others brought out the closest objects to weapons such as sickles or pickaxes. The redhead ran inside, grabbing a spear from under a desk, and its golden highlights glinted in the light.

* * *

 **Kingdom of Atlas**

 **Azzurra**

 **2nd July, 2015**

 **16:20 PM (Central Atlesian Time)**

 **Schnee Headquarters**

" _Mapingalian Public Speaker, Pyrrha Nikos' speech was interrupted earlier this morning when Atlesian and Mistrial troops broke into a firefight on the streets of the island. The current status of the fight is unknown._ " The TV spoke, and Weiss looked at it in alarm. She heard a cry of anger come from the nearby staircase, and her father flew from the doors, his face bright red and his scroll to his ear.

"General Ironwood, I am ordering you to withdraw your troops. They are not ready for combat yet, we have not retrieved the final testees. What do you mean I do not have the right to call off this attack. James!" The man cried out angrily, his eyes narrowed. "Oum help him when I find him, he'll need his strength." Mr Schnee muttered before he headed back the way he had came from. Weiss watched in surprise as her father stormed into and out of the room. She heard soft footsteps behind her, and an accented voice spoke.

"I wonder what I that was about." Weiss looked over her shoulder, and saw her brown haired Faunus friend stood only a few feet away.

"Probably something to do with the firefight on Mapingale Island." Weiss replied, earning a light lunch on the shoulder from Velvet.

"I was joking. I know exactly what caused it." Velvet replied, and the two laughed together.

"So. That means we'll be seeing some action soon. About time if you ask me." Another voice spoke up this time, and a blonde man swung down from the ceiling. "Popcorn?" He gestured, and Weiss looked at him as if he had just disgraced her family name.

"No thank you. I don't want your disgusting, dusty popcorn, Sun" Weiss answered, folding her arms and looking away from the boy.

"Disgusting? Dusty? This is top notch Vacuan popcorn right here." The boy replied, a blonde tail trailing behind him as he walked. "So. Mr Schnee's gonna be unhappy. Apparently he didn't think we were ready. I, for one, think we are ready, and that we're able to whoop serious butt." The Faunus replied, a grin on his face.

"No. We need to be more prepared. We've only ever fought each other, not actual soldiers. Hopefully… Hopefully this firefight is just a one off." Weiss replied, and Velvet nodded. The sounds of heeled shoes clacking along the ground echoed through the room, and the three looked behind them.

"You three. I'm calling a meeting. Now, meeting room." Winter ordered coldly, and they glanced at each other before Winter exited the room, leaving the door ajar.

"Well. Guess it's meeting time." Velvet commented jokingly, and they followed the eldest Schnee daughter out of the room.

* * *

 **Kingdom of Atlas**

 **Azzurra**

 **2nd July, 2015**

 **16:30 PM (Central Atlesian Time)**

 **Schnee Headquarters**

The fifteen were sat around the long, ovaloid table, Winter stood at the end, her hands placed firmly on the table.

"A firefight between Atlesian and Mistrial began on the Island of Mapingale approximately four hours ago. And only two minutes after that, CCTV cameras caught this." Winter said, and the large computer screen behind her lit up. It showed a low resolution image from zoomed CCTV camera footage of a red-gold figure. "An unknown assailant attacked both military forces. Showing use of a semblance in the process. They're wearing a set of custom armour, a full body suit of titanium-alloy and advanced nano-fibres designed for both movement and protection. It appears to be a combination of Atlesian and Mistrial armour suits. She wields this, a spear that appears to also be a rifle. When, where, and how they gained this weapon is unknown." Winter informed them, and the other fourteen stayed silent. "I'm calling this 'The VIP', we get them back here and interrogate them for their unprovoked attack." Winter finished, and a snort came from the seats. All heads to turned to its owner, a bright blue haired boy.

"Unprovoked. Two kingdoms sent a large amount of military forces into their territory, I'd say that's very provoked." He replied, and Winter narrowed her eyes.

"Continue, Neptune." Winter growled, and he walked over to her, a grin on her face.

"OK OK OK, if you insist." He laughed, and stood in front of the screen. "What we see here are the well known colours of Public Speaker, and Mapingalian Independence Activist, Pyrrha Nikos. Red and gold. And trailing behind her… Here." Neptune pointed to the screen, and all eyes turned to his hand. "Is her trademark long, red hair. So by this we've identified our unknown assailant. Now, Miss Nikos here is one of the heads of the Mapingalian Independence Movement, which receives a high amount of funding from their small government. Now we've figured out where the weapon came from. Now, provocation. Their Independence Movement is just that, and they don't take kindly to militaries fighting it out on their turf. And, so suddenly, this unprovoked offensive turns into a fearful defensive. So, I suggest that we don't bring her here to interrogate her. But to get her to join us. She's been seen using a semblance, meaning her Aura is unsealed. Whatever her semblance is, some form of Telekinesis, as she is seen stopping bullets and throwing guns from soldiers hands." Neptune finished, and bowed before stepping away

"I completely take back my hostility Neptune. That was extremely intuitive." Winter told him, and he nodded as he took his seat, and Sun high-fived the blue haired boy.

"Are you sure about this? It seems a bit… Extreme." A Raven haired Faunus spoke, the cat ears on her head twitching slightly. "I mean. We can't go in guns blazing. That's not going to give off a good impression. Maybe send in… Three people, with their weapons. It's just enough people to be intimidating and stop any true unprovoked attacks, but not enough to fight off an entire city's worth of angry civilians." The girl suggested, and Winter nodded slowly.

"OK. But who do we send in." Winter hummed, and a ginger girl exclaimed whilst bouncing in her chair.

"Me! Me!" The voice shouted energetically, but was quickly silenced by another.

"No, Nora. Taking a giant battle hammer and won't make any kinds of good impression." A deeper, man's voice spoke, and the ginger let out a disappointed 'aww'. "I would suggest, Blake, Weiss and yourself, you three are easily the best fighters. So should anything go south, you can handle yourselves." The man continued, and Winter nodded slowly again.

"It's settled then. Blake, Weiss and I are heading to Mapingale at 0700 tomorrow morning. You two, prepare anything you may need. You're dismissed." Winter spoke, and the other fourteen left the room. "Things appear to be beginning a little earlier than father expected…" The eldest Schnee daughter sighed, and followed the others out.


	3. Chapter 3

**Perception and Preparation:**

 **Chapter 3:**

* * *

 **Kingdom of Atlas**

 **Azzurra**

 **2nd July, 2015**

 **17:15 PM (Central Atlesian Time)**

 **Atlesian Military Headquarters**

Mr Schnee stormed down the corridor, his face a burning red with anger. He pushed through a door, and saw a man stood in front of several life-sized holograms.

"James!" Schnee exclaimed, and the man looked over his shoulder. "The children are _not_ ready! If you even _think_ that I'll send them in to fight for you, you'll have to think again!" The white-haired man growled angrily.

"Ignaz Schnee, this is private business of the Atlesian Military Council, what is your intention?" A hologram stated, and Mr Schnee took a deep breath.

"If the Council believes that the children in my project are ready, then you have no idea what you're talking about. They have no real-world combat training, the two remaining testees are still being located, they've left the City of Vale." He replied, and sighed. "And I request that you call of the offensive on Mapingale immediately." Mr Schnee finished, another hologram spoke up.

"That's not possible. The Council has decided that Mistral has gone too far, and securing Mapingale is vital to our victory." A female spoke, and James spoke.

"And we have had news that Vale is taking up arms, and I have men investigating at this moment." He informed, his hands intertwined behind his back. "I shall inform the Council as soon as I receive information." James finished.

"Thank you, Ironwood. Schnee, leave us." The middle hologram spoke, and the white-haired man nodded, before walking out calmly.

* * *

 **Kingdom of Atlas**

 **Azzurra**

 **2nd July, 2015**

 **19:05 PM (Central Atlesian Time)**

 **Schnee Headquarters**

Weiss fired at the target, hitting the centre three times, but straying from it twice. She smiled happily as it cycled along to the next target, situated at the very back of the long room. She placed the pistol on the side, and pulled her rapier from her side. Several beams flew from the handle, speeding toward the target, hitting it in the centre.

"Yes." Weiss celebrated quietly, grinning.

"Nice shooting, Weiss. Hopefully, though, we won't need it." A voice spoke up calmly from behind her, and Weiss turned her head to see a raven-haired cat faunus stood there.

"Thanks Blake. And yes, I too hope that we won't be needing my _amazing_ shooting." Weiss finished jokingly, grinning at her friend, who rolled her eyes.

"Nice, yes. Good? Maybe. _Amazing_. No, I don't think so, Weiss Schnee." Blake replied, and Weiss laughed. "So, we've got about twelve hours till we leave to find Pyrrha Nikos, how're you feeling?" The faunus girl asked, and Weiss paused.

"I… I'm kinda nervous. If she was that quick to react before, she may do it again. And she has several dangerous things. A semblance, and therefore an Aura. A suit of armour, made from prototype models, however she got those. And a spear-rifle. I don't want this to go anything but smoothly, Blake, but I fear things could get messy." Weiss sighed, and Blake placed a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm sure it'll be fine, as long as we don't fire at them, they shouldn't fire at us. There'll only be three of us, and they don't know about our Aura either." Blake comforted, and Weiss nodded.

"I guess so. I just… I'm not sure we're ready, and… And I think we should've told my father." She finished.

"Weiss, if Winter hasn't told Mr Schnee, then she obviously doesn't think it's concerning enough to take up his time." Blake responded, and Weiss nodded slowly again.

"Yeah. Yes, you're right. Thank you, Blake." Weiss thanked, and Blake smiled at her.

"No problem, Weiss. What're friends for, hmm?" She suggested before walking off, leaving Weiss alone in the firing range.

* * *

 **Kingdom of Vale**

 **Outskirts**

 **2nd July, 2015**

 **18:25 PM (Valean Time (-2 Hours Central Atlesian Time))**

 **Outskirts**

Ruby and Yang raced through the forest, jumping over roots and pushing through bushes.

"Yang! How much further until the border?" Ruby shouted as they ran, and Yang looked over to her.

"Probably a few days? Maybe? I think? I don't know, we're in a Oum damned forest, Ruby!" Yang called back, and Ruby laughed.

"Yeah, well, whatever." Ruby spoke to herself, and she saw the trees thinning. "I see the light!" She cried jokingly, and Yang laughed as they entered a large field.

"Or maybe the border'll be right over this field." Yang said, pointing to a large wall that was across the field. "Hmm, that was easier than I thought. I guess the city's closer to the border than I remembered." Yang muttered, and looked over at Ruby. "Come on, Rubes, let's go." She spoke, and they started jogging down the field.

* * *

 **Kingdom of Atlas**

 **Azzurra**

 **2nd July, 2015**

 **20:55 PM (Central Atlesian Time)**

 **Schnee Headquarters**

Mr Schnee looked up when he heard a knock on his door, and it opened slowly.

"Mr Schnee, the two remaining testees are approaching the Vale-Atlas border, what would you like us to do?" Hazel Scarlatina asked him, and he paused for thought.

"Send Winter, Galatea and Weiss to pick them up. If Ironwood has continued with his plan, then the Atlesian side of that border will be _severely_ militarised." The man replied, and Miss Scarlatina nodded before leaving. "Ruby Rose and Yang Xiao Long, better late than never." He muttered, looking down at his desk-screen, which was showing an image of the two girls.

* * *

 **Kingdom of Atlas**

 **Azzurra**

 **2nd July, 2015**

 **21:00 PM (Central Atlesian Time)**

 **Schnee Headquarters**

The three Schnee sisters were in their dorm room. Galatea sitting on the top bunk of a bunk bed, swinging her legs. Winter was pacing the room, her hands behind her back. And Weiss was sat underneath her twin sister, watching Winter.

"Weiss, Gala, father has decided that we're picking up the two remaining testees, Ruby Rose and Yang Xiao Long. We need to leave soon, so get changed, and take your weapons. They're at the Vale-Atlas border, and General Ironwood has likely placed high amounts of soldiers and military units on said border." Winter informed them, and Gala jumped from her bunk, and Weiss followed suit, her feet hitting the floor gently. "Hurry up, we need to leave." She said before exiting the room.

* * *

 **Kingdom of Vale**

 **Outskirts**

 **2nd July, 2015**

 **19:15 PM (Valean Time (-2 Hours Central Atlesian Time))**

 **Outskirts**

The two girls finally reached the wall, breathing heavily. Ruby leaned on the wall, but froze when she heard a voice speak up.

"Civilians, identify yourselves." It ordered, and the two looked up to see several androids aiming down at them, a human soldier stood in the middle of them.

"Um. Ruby Rose." Ruby said, and Yang pushed her back.

"Yang Xiao Long, we're trying to get into Atlas." Yang spoke angrily, protecting Ruby. "We need to get in." She said, and the soldier looked over his shoulder.

"No. The border has been closed in the name of the Kingdom of Atlas. No one gets in." He replied, and Yang growled.

"We were _told_ to come here, you can't just deny us entry!" She exclaimed angrily, and the soldier and androids aimed their guns at them. The sound of loud aircraft came from overhead, and Ruby looked up to see an Atlesian troop carrier come down, and land behind the wall.

"Um… Yang, I don't think we should argue with them…" Ruby suggested quietly, but Yang ignored her, opening her mouth to speak up.

"Corporal Stone! Stand down immediately." A voice ordered from the other side of the wall, and all weapons lowered, facing the ground.

"Miss Schnee, Ma'am." He said, instantly standing to attention and saluting. "These two seem to believe that they're allowed across." He informed the voice, and a tall, white-haired woman walked up next to him.

"State your identities." The woman ordered, and Ruby glanced over at Yang, who was shaking in anger.

"I'm Ruby Rose, and that's my sister Yang Xiao Long." Ruby replied, and the woman smiled.

"Corporal, let them through, they're with us. They're with the project." She said, and Ruby's eyes widened in surprise.

"Of course, Miss Schnee." He said, and part of the wall slid open, and the two sisters walked through. "Come on through." The man said as they did, and Yang grinned at him cheekily as he did.

"Greetings. I'm Winter Schnee, my sisters Weiss and Galatea are waiting for us on that Bullhead, if you would please follow me." She spoke calmly, and they headed over to the aircraft. "I assume you understand why you're here." Winter said, but they shook their heads. "Ah. This makes it a little more… Confusing…" She murmured in annoyance as they stepped into the craft. "Pilot! To the Schnee Company Headquarters!" Winter ordered, and the craft from the ground, and flew off quickly.

* * *

 **Kingdom of Atlas**

 **Azzurra**

 **2nd July, 2015**

 **21:30 PM (Central Atlesian Time)**

 **Schnee Headquarters**

The craft landed, and the five girls exited the craft.

"Weiss, Gala, head to bed. I'm going to show these two to their room." Winter informed them, the twins headed off simultaneously. "If you two would please follow me." She said calmly, and walked inside with Ruby and Yang following her.

"So~o, what're we doing here?" Yang asked nervously, fiddling with her long hair.

"You're here because you show high levels of Aura Reactivity, something very rare. You will be trained to use and control your Aura, and eventually your Aura Ability, known as a Semblance."

"A _Semblance_?" Ruby questioned curiously, and Winter sighed.

"Your Semblance, a unique ability that you possess, but is locked behind your Aura, and your Aura is naturally sealed." Winter informed them, and Ruby paused.

"You mean like… This!" She exclaimed, and dashes forward, leaving a trail of rose petals behind her.

"Hmm, I was not informed of this, I will have to confer with Hazel next I see her." She muttered, and grabbed a petal from the floor. "Interesting, seemingly natural, I shall have to take it down to the labs for analysis." She said as she continued onward, and she turned. "This is your dormitory, you can store all personal belongings here. Now, if you will excuse me, I have work to do." Winter finished, and strode off, leaving the sisters to enter the room.

"Wo~ow, swanky." Yang spoke with awe, and Ruby grinned.

"Hey Yang." Ruby said, looking at Yang, her eyes alight. "I call top bunk!" She exclaimed, instantly climbing, and Yang groaned in annoyance.

"Whatever Rubes, I'll just have to take it from ya' later." Yang joked, and Ruby snorted. "Oh shut it, Rose." Yang told Ruby, grinning at her.

* * *

 **Kingdom of Atlas**

 **Azzurra**

 **3rd July, 2015**

 **06:30 AM (Central Atlesian Time)**

 **Schnee Headquarters**

Weiss watched as Blake wrapped the ribbon around her wrist, and took a deep breath.

"Nervous?" Blake asked, an eyebrow raised.

"A little, but a small bit of training with Myrtenaster should calm my nerves." She smiled, and Blake laughed.

"If I didn't know better, I'd say you were raised by General Ironwood." The raven-haired Faunus laughed, and Weiss chuckled too.

"Well, we _are_ soldiers, so it's close enough, right?" Weiss replied, smiling at her friend.

"I guess so. But, we're not soldiers today, we're just going to talk to, and possibly bring back, Miss Pyrrha Nikos." She replied, and Weiss nodded.

"Hopefully she'll come back with us, she'll be very useful." Winter said as she walked in calmly, and Weiss looked over at her.

"How long's the flight to Mapingale?" Weiss asked.

"Approximately two and a half hours. So we should get ready, we'll get there at around 02:30 AM South Mistral Time, so there should be very little people outside." Winter informed them, and Blake sheathed her sword over her shoulder. "Now, we better get going, we _can't_ be late." Winter said, and the three headed out.

* * *

 **Kingdom of Atlas**

 **Azzurra**

 **3rd July, 2015**

 **08:15 AM (Central Atlesian Time)**

 **Schnee Headquarters**

Yang sat up in her bed, making sure she didn't knock her head on the top bunk, and yawned whilst stretching out her arms before climbing off. She walked over to a wardrobe, and saw the outfit she had worn yesterday hung neatly inside, spotless.

"Huh? Guess I'll wear that?" Yang questioned, pulling it out, and quickly changing into it. She noticed Ruby stirring, and looked up at her. "Hey Rubes." Yang said, and Ruby shot up in surprise.

"Oh, right, we're here. Not at home." Ruby mumbled, and jumped from the top bunk, landing carefully on her feet. Yang saw Ruby was still dressed, and raised an eyebrow.

"Why didn't you change? They had pyjamas in the wardrobe." Yang said, and Ruby shrugged. "Ruby, they could've washed that." She tried, but Ruby still shrugged. "Oh whatever, you wear your sweaty, dirty clothes." The blonde sighed, and walked out of the room. Ruby followed her, brushing her hair from her eyes, and the door shut behind her.

* * *

 **Hey there. I hope you have enjoyed this chapter, and the first two chapters before this. Anyway, Remember that Constructive Criticism is always Useful, Reviews are Welcomed, and Keep Moving Forward!**

 **Stinger out!**


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